Message from Rabbi Karol at the
Temple Beth-El Annual Meeting
May 9, 2019
Humility and the Art of “We”
Humility. Sometimes it seems that there
isn’t enough to go around.
A culture based on winning, on “who has the most
toys,” on claiming that some people deserve to be
built up and some deserve to be put down, doesn’t
encourage humility....but, Judaism constantly re-
minds us to be humble.
We recite prayers of confession on Yom Kippur while
fasting in order to focus on improving ourselves. The
readings are worded in the plural, “we,” not “I.” We are
called upon, as members of a congregation worshiping
together, to apologize for the wrongs we have committed
and to seek forgiveness. Human beings can grant for-
giveness, but it’s God who pardons us and cleanses us,
after we have done the right thing.
When we sing of peace in every service, we ask God
to make peace for all of us together, encompassing all
people who live on the earth. We can do much of the
work to bring about peace, but praying to God for assis-
tance demonstrates that we know we can’t to it alone.
And when we speak about the ties that we have in
common, we talk about “the Jewish people.” We sing
“Am Yisrael Chai/the People of Israel lives” to declare
our place in a large, extended family with a long and
unique history.
Seeing ourselves as part of something greater, and ad-
mitting our limitations, are very Jewish approaches that guide us on a path of humility.
During the first week of April, I was with my rabbinic
collective, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, at its 130th annual convention held in Cincinnati. In the sessions I attended, I learned about how we can be better community members, how we can increase our respect for each other, and how we can advocate for people seeking justice because the biblical prophets called on people of their time, over and over, to do selfless acts that could raise up people who are often or constantly put down. They encouraged their listeners to work together to
strengthen their relationships and their community. Their words have meaning for us, as well, in the here and now.
I was sorry to miss the volunteer meeting before the
Jewish Food and Folk Festival this year, which was held while I was in Cincinnati. Of course, I would not have missed the sixth annual JFFF for anything. It is one of the best examples of the concept of WE in a congregation that I have ever seen. The JFFF came together five years ago by adding to the best practices of past congregational fundraisers fresh ideas from committee members and volunteers. This event now has a style and character all its own.
The Jewish Food and Folk Festival, and its partner
fundraisers, the Matzo Ball Open, A Night at the Auction, and the Renaissance Faire booth, created a welcoming spirit among us and in our community. This is a WE accomplishment, because everyone, including planners and participants, developers and donors, bakers and cooks, marketers and volunteers, made this possible. We ARE amazing, and we all deserve to feel proud.
We also deserve to feel proud of our efforts to bring
community members into our space to grow in knowledge and wisdom. There were candidate forums, a film about Jewish Americans who served in the Armed Forces during World War II, a discussion about antisemitism as it relates to attitudes towards Israel, a series on immigration, an interfaith discussion on freedom and justice, a service and film to put the Holocaust in perspective, and a gathering
of 180 people to strengthen one another in the immediate aftermath of the shootings at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue.
We served breakfast at Camp Hope on December 25,
and donated food to Casa de Peregrinos that was collected during the High Holydays.
We celebrated Shabbat and holidays with our voices
united in song and prayer, enjoyed each other’s company at Oneg Shabbat receptions, built and decorated and prayed in the Sukkah, and danced with the Torah scrolls and unrolled them on Simchat Torah. We contributed a smorgasbord of latkes and brought our Chanukiot to light on the Shabbat during Chanukah, creating our own special communal glow. We planted a tree on Tu Bish’vat and cheered - or, I should say, booed - as Haman met his demise, once again, in the Purim Spiel. We heard our Religious School students recite the four questions and engage in a harder than usual Afikoman search as 72 people shared the Temple Seder, sponsored by Sisterhood.
Some of us made our way to El Paso this past Sunday to add music, dance, information and spirit as our two communities celebrated Israel’s 71 years as a state.
We pondered the essence of leadership in several spe-
cially designed programs and shared our individual and collective insights in discussions on short stories and sacred texts. We intently and proudly watched and listened as the history of Temple Beth-El came to life onstage on October 7. We tested our gaming skills as BETY/BEMY offered us an opportunity to simply sit and be together to play our games of choice, which happened, as it turned out, just hours after the shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue.
Rhonda has always told me that, while working at the Dayton Jewish Center, she learned that it was her job as a member of the Center professional staff to support the lay leaders and volunteers in their work, whether as an out-front partner or as a strong, nurturing presence behind the scenes. Sometimes the nature of the WE manifests itself with certain individuals being more visible than others,
but we know that a strong WE takes the enthusiasm, ingenuity, talents, and involvement of every single person that comprises a group or a committee or a whole community.
My service to this congregation as rabbi has always
been about being a part of the WE of TBE. An Adelante Newsletter looks good because of all that we do that infusesour Temple life with content. A class or study group, a community program, and even a worship service is as good as the willingness of the leader/facilitator and the participants, together, to enhance and strengthen each other’s contributions in word, in thought, in spirit, and, sometimes, in song. Being part of the WE of TBE means that every
single one of us has something to add to who we are and who we can be; but it also means that each of us is part of a team, an extended family right here within these walls, that can do great things when we put our minds and hearts together. Our strength emerges not only from our creative prowess but also from our humble, sincere, and selfless service to this holy community.
There are, in this space, of course, a variety of opinions regarding how Temple Beth-El will approach challenges in the coming months and years. My own involvement in a mutual and respectful decision-making process with the Board of Trustees to begin to chart that course yielded my signature on a letter sent to Temple members. Just about anything that has happened in my rabbinate has been like a door that has opened to a new experience. The Temple leadership has assured that the connection between the Karols and this congregation will remain real and strong for years to come, even after my retirement. That offers us an
opportunity to continue to humbly get to know one another in a new way.
I believe that the best way to move into the future is to take positive and optimistic steps forward, but I am not only speaking about Rhonda and me. It is about all of us. We have been working, studying, praying, planning, hosting, meeting, laughing, singing and leading together on the Board, in classes and community events, in committee work, and in one-to-one conversations over these last eight years. There is more for us to consider and to accomplish. . There is much good left to do.
Many thanks to Ellen Torres, our Temple president, as
she concludes her dedicated service in this capacity of leadership. . To all of my partners on the Board of Trustees, in the Temple choir, on committees, in our Religious School among both parents and students, in the Mensch Club, Sisterhood, and BETY/BEMY, and to all of you with whom I have worked and shared here at Temple, thank you for your partnership. To Adam, Rabbi Juli and Josh, thank you for
your support from afar which enables me to keep my sense of humor and a proper perspective on what I do.
And to Rhonda, thank you for your love, wisdom and
support over these 38 years that have always kept me focused on the significance of what I do, and what we do together, to try to make a positive difference in the
world. And so I offer these words based on verses
from Psalm 67 to send us forward with confidence and
hope:
“May the Eternal One be gracious to us and bless
us, and may the divine face shine and smile upon all of
us, so that God’s presence will envelop us all in love
and peace.”
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